O'Neill is a city in Holt County,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, United States. The population was 3,705 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Holt County.

History

O'Neill was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1874. It was named for one of its founders, John O'Neill. O'Neill was originally settled largely by Irish immigrants. The town was incorporated in 1882.

Geography

O'Neill is located at (42.460753, -98.647016). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. O'Neill is the official

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

capital of Nebraska. Cattle, potatoes, tomatoes, soybeans and corn are the major products produced near this town.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 3,705 people in 1,593 households, including 970 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 1,778 housing units at an average density of . The racial makup of the city was 94.2% White, 0.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.5%. Of the 1,593 households 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.6% of households were one person and 17.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age was 42.8 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 3,733 people in 1,554 households, including 988 families, in the city. The population density was 1,580.7 people per square mile (610.7/km). There were 1,740 housing units at an average density of 736.8 per square mile (284.7/km). The racial makup of the city was 98.53% White, 0.03% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population. Of the 1,554 households 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.8% of households were one person and 17.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.01. The age distribution was 26.7% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males. The median household income was $30,815 and the median family income was $40,063. Males had a median income of $28,614 versus $18,627 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,998. About 5.0% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

and the Summerfest in July are the town's main celebrations.

Museums and other points of interest

O'Neill houses the world's largest permanent shamrock. Made of colored concrete, it was installed in the main intersection of 4th & Douglas in 2000. Due to high traffic, each year the town repaints the shamrock for St. Patrick's Day as part of the towns celebration.

Education

O'Neill has three high schools: St. Mary's Catholic School, O'Neill Public Jr/Sr. High School, and Word of Life Christian School.

Media

The Holt County Independent is O'Neill's local newspaper. The local radio station is KBRX, 102.9FM, 1350AM. The FM band plays country music along with all the local news from the surrounding towns, while the AM band plays classic rock with a polka ("milking music") hour in the morning.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Until 1992, O'Neill was served by the

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befo ...

. The line, known as the "Cowboy Line", ran from

Norfolk, Nebraska Norfolk ( or ) is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth ...

to Chadron. The line has since been removed and "railbanked"; it is now part of the Cowboy Trail, the longest bike trail in Nebraska. O'Neill is also served by a former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy branch line from the

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

vicinity. This line is now operated as the Nebraska Northeastern Railway. The highways which go through O'Neill include U.S. Highway 20,

U.S. Highway 275 U.S. Route 275 (US 275) is a north–south United States highway that is a branch of US 75. It originally terminated at US 75 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The highway's northern terminus is in O'Neill, Nebraska, at an intersection with U.S. Highw ...

, and U.S. Highway 281.

Notable people

Clayton Danks Clarence Clayton Danks (July 21, 1879 – June 23, 1970) was a three-time winner of Cheyenne Frontier Days, an outdoor rodeo and western celebration held each July in the Wyoming capital city of Cheyenne. He is believed to be the cowboy of th ...

(1879-1970), three-time Cheyenne Frontier Days

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

winner, model of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

symbol; born in O'Neill in 1879 *

Helen Duhamel Helen S. Duhamel (November 26, 1904 – November 8, 1991) was an American businesswoman and broadcaster, best known for saving the Duhamel Company from bankruptcy and establishing a cluster of radio and television stations in western South Dakota ...

(1904–1991), Rapid City, South Dakota, businesswoman and broadcaster, attended St. Mary's Catholic School in O'Neill * Father Edward Flanagan, who established Boys Town, first served as a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in O'Neill *

Mike Johanns Michael Owen Johanns ( ; born June 18, 1950) is an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 2009 to 2015. He served as the 38th governor of Nebraska from 1999 until 2005, and was chair of the Mi ...

, U.S. Senator, started career as attorney in O'Neill *

Thomas Kearns Thomas Kearns (April 11, 1862 – October 18, 1918) was an American mining, banking, railroad, and newspaper magnate. He was a US Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905. Unlike the predominantly Mormon constituents of his state, Senator Kearns wa ...

, U.S. Senator, Utah mining, banking and railroad magnate, owner of '' Salt Lake Tribune'', an O'Neill native *

Moses Kinkaid Moses Pierce Kinkaid (January 24, 1856 – July 6, 1922) was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Nebraska. He was the sponsor of the 1904 Kinkaid Land Act, which allowed homeste ...

, resident, Republican U.S. Representative from Nebraska and sponsor of

Kinkaid Act The Kinkaid Act of 1904 (ch. 1801, , Apr. 28, 1904, ) is a U.S. statute that amended the 1862 Homestead Act so that one section (1 mi2, 2.6 km2, 640 acres) of public domain land could be acquired free of charge, apart from a modest filin ...

, expanding the amount of land to be granted for homesteading plots * Debra Kolste,

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, e ...

member since 2013, was born in O'Neill *

Frank Leahy Francis William Leahy (August 27, 1908 – June 21, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Boston College from 1939 to 1940 and at ...

, football coach at Notre Dame, member of

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

, was born in O'Neill * John O'Neill,

-born officer in

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, member of

Fenian Brotherhood The Fenian Brotherhood () was an Irish republican organisation founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organisation to the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). M ...

; led Fenian raids on Canada in 1866 and 1871 *

Harry Owens Harry Robert Owens (18 April 1902 – 12 December 1986) was an American composer, bandleader and songwriter best known for his song " Sweet Leilani." Biography Harry Robert Owens was born April 18, 1902, in O'Neill, Nebraska. He learned to ...

, bandleader and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning songwriter, was born in O'Neill *

Jake Peetz Jake Peetz (born April 5, 1984) is an American football coach who is the Offensive Pass Game Specialist for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Carolina Panthers, Alabama, ...

, offensive assistant coach of NFL's

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

, is a native of O'Neill

References

External links

City of O'Neill

O'Neill Area Chamber of Commerce

ePodunk: Profile for O'Neill Nebraska

St. Mary's Catholic School

O'Neill Public Schools
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Nebraska Cities in Nebraska Cities in Holt County, Nebraska Irish-American neighborhoods Irish-American culture in Nebraska County seats in Nebraska Populated places established in 1882 1882 establishments in Nebraska